By signing today’s agreement we consolidate a most valuable alliance, raising it to a new level, since scientific and technological development based on space activity may become one of the most important engines of value creation in Hungary, too, in the coming decades, Minister of State for Info-communication and Consumer Protection Ákos Kara said in Budapest on 24 February, 2015, on the occasion that Hungary joined the European Space Agency as a full-fledged member.
Hungarian scientists and engineers have been present in the forefront of international space activity for a long time and contributed to the astounding successes by numerous technological and scientific achievements. The most important tasks now are to convert the recovery experienced in the past years into permanent growth and support the knowledge-based sector in all possible ways, the Minister of State pointed out.
Full-fledged membership enables Hungary to join a wider range of ESA’s scientific, educational and industrial programmes than before. Through the advantages of ESA membership, Hungarian space industrial enterprises and research institutes engaged in high technology will be able to keep their current leading position in the region. By their continued dynamic growth, the companies and workshops producing high added value may increase the competitiveness of the sector and of Hungary as a whole.
Marketability will grow in several related industries as well and, through the cooperation of universities, technical higher education may become more up-to-date. Growing opportunities may contribute to the creation of new work places and help keep the highly qualified technical graduates from leaving the country. It is estimated that employment in the sector may increase up to fivefold by 2020, Ákos Kara said.
The direct and indirect achievements of space activity have become parts of our everyday lives by today; the results attained can thus be efficiently utilised in the national economy as a whole. In addition to increased employment, tax and fee revenues and competitiveness, accession involves a significant expenditure reduction in the application of domestic systems of vital importance like agricultural, telecommunication, transport, disaster prevention or even military systems.
As a cooperating state of ESA, Hungary has participated in various scientific and innovation programmes since 1991. In the past few years, the government has made efforts to make this cooperation even closer. Within the framework of the accession process, experts of the European Space Agency assessed the condition and potential development opportunities of the Hungarian space sector in 2014. According to ESA data, at least 41 enterprises and academic research institutes related to the space industry are operating in Hungary today, all of which represent the world standard and are able to participate and further develop in the Agency’s programmes.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organisation with 21 member states, the most important tasks of which include, in addition to scientific research, developing space technology in a targeted way, catalysing the growth of the space industry and establishing and utilising space-based infrastructures (satellite navigation, telecommunications, meteorology, etc.). ESA consistently applies the principle of geographic reimbursement, i.e. the industry of every country may participate in ESA programmes in proportion to their contribution. ESA guarantees that a proportionate part of the contribution paid is channelled back to member states by way of tenders. At the time of accession, all the industrial tenders of ESA become open to the companies of the joining country and the organisation makes sure by way of catch up and assistance programmes provided for several years that the industry of the new member states should get reimbursement in proportion to the country’s contributions. The annual budget of ESA is approximately EUR 4 bn.